Unravelled
by another anime fan
Summary: She'd been running from them for almost four years. Now she had no choice but to return. Home. A home that no longer feels like one, where people she loved now feel like strangers and her parents are long since gone. But, who is this mysterious butler who appears to have taken interest in her? And what is this uneasy feeling she just can't shake? SEBASTIAN X OC
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

* * *

Running. That's all I've ever known these past few years.

It's all because of _them._

They're coming.

They're always coming.

 _After me._

I don't know who they are, or who they work for, all I know is that wherever I run, they can always track me down.

I have no options left.

I have to return. To _there._

 _They_ were the reason I left in the first place, to keep everyone safe. So they only went after me. But I've been everywhere these past four years, and everywhere they have found me. That's why I need to go back to the only home I've ever known. That's why I now sit in a carriage, awaiting my arrival to the very place I ran from. Back to everyone I used to know, who won't even know me anymore.

* * *

I'm jolted awake from a restless sleep by the carriage wheel hitting a stone on the road. It is barely a carriage at all, perhaps deserving the name of cart instead. I don't have have much money at all; 5 shillings, 10 pence and 1 farthing to my name. I can't remember how long it has been since I have been in possession of a mere pound, which is a great difference to what I used to posses before I left the very life I am now returning to.

I dress in simple men's clothing; a loose shirt and a pair of trousers and boots, all in rather unextravagant shades of brown.

The ride has been long, I have journeyed from Bristol in the past day, mostly by train, and I caught the carriage ride from London, as the train does not venture close enough to my destination.

I look out across the fields passing by. Clusters of trees clutter the relatively flat ground, and sheep and cows are clustered in the fields. It is late afternoon, and I can see the faint dusting of pink on the horizon, signifying that sunset is approaching soon.

I look behind myself, a habit I have developed over the past years.

I sense we are approaching the destination soon, the trees and the road are distantly familiar, sparking memories of carriage rides to London with everyone, although in a very different carriage than the one I am in today.

The driver, in fact, notifies me that we are nearing there, and that I will need to get off in ten minutes and walk the remaining quarter of a mile myself, as he is turning in the opposite direction to where I'm headed.

As I again look out across my surroundings, my mind wanders wanders to what may happen upon my return. I suppose they'll think I'm dead, having left in the dead of night with not even a note or anything to notify why I had disappeared. I had to do it that way, or _they_ would have found my family.

Everyone probably searched for me, but to no avail. I was probably then proclaimed dead and an empty coffin buried. The prospect makes me feel incredibly guilty. But, I had to do it. It was for their own good.

Although, I can't help but imagine the shock they will feel upon seeing my face once I have returned. I wonder how they are now. It's probably all the same as I left, myself being missing wouldn't have hindered their day to day life. I'm sure they will have long since got over it. My main concern is my young brother. It has been just over four years, he may have even forgotten me. I regret not getting to see him grow over these few years. He will be nearing thirteen now. Close to the age I was when I left. My parents will probably be the same as ever, and I imagine will be glad upon my return. I can see all of their faces clearly still; they haven't faded a day.

Seeing everything as I pass, it's as though I never left so long ago. I fear nobody will accept who I have become. I am not the person they knew anymore. It saddens me, though it cannot be helped. I can't change myself, no matter now hard I try.

Something that bothers me is how much I will have to explain about my absence. I don't want to go into detail about my ordeal, especially _them,_ though I suppose it's unavoidable. Anyone would desperately want to know about their daughter or sister disappearing for so long.

The carriage pulls to a halt. I get off and hand the driver most of my remaining money, and turn around and begin to walk down the road that leads to my old home.  
I first see it in the distance, silhouetted against the setting sun.

The Phantomhive mansion. The place I spent the first fourteen and a half years of my life.

* * *

When I reach the front gate I realise something is wrong.

It's not an obvious wrongness, unless you know the place extremely well it's impossible to tell any difference, but I could see subtle occurrences that seemed very wrong. The tree that I used to always sit under and read isn't there anymore, and there's no hint of a stump where it could have been cut down. The garden is completely different in all respects, and the most noticeable change to me is the atmosphere; it no longer feels like the family home I once knew, it feels like a strange place I've never been before.

Maybe it's due to my absence for so long, but something is telling me there's some other reason it feels this way. A bad feeling begins to wash over me and nervous butterflies flood my stomach.

It definitely is not the best idea to sit and stew over what could happen once I knock on that door, so I walk briskly over and knock three times sharply on said door, not wanting to waste a second of time.

Somebody I do not know answers the door. Do they even still live here? Is that why I feel out of place?

I look him over. He is tall, pale, has black hair and reddish eyes and wears a butler's clothes. His facial features remind me of my father in a way. I am relieved to find that the head butler pin is attached to his lapel. This is most certainly still the home of Phantomhive. Though, I do not know why Tanaka, the old butler has been replaced.

"Good afternoon," he says. I notice a flash of recognition in his eyes, or perhaps I imagine it. I have never seen this man before in my life."My master is not expecting guests at this time and is rather busy. I am afraid if you want to meet with him, you will have to schedule it for a later date."

If it had been somebody I'd know, it would have been much easier for me, and I would have known what to say, but instead I'm faced with a complete stranger.  
I decide to ask for my father. I can explain everything to him.

"Uh," I begin, "Please could you tell him that it's Anastasia. He'll know what you mean."

The butler gives me an odd look. Something that I cannot recognise and shows absolutely no pointers as to what he is thinking. "As you wish."

He steps back inside, and I stand - albeit awkwardly - in the doorway. I don't even venture into the entrance hall. I brace myself for what is to come. The rest of the time I spend looking at my shoelaces. I admit; I'm nervous.

The butler returns in a matter of minutes. "Come this way," he says, and I nod, following him inside the mansion.

As I walk I notice slight differences; the flooring is similar to the previous, yet not the same stuff, likewise for the furniture. The same wrong feeling surrounds me as it did outside. Another thing I notice that is very off, is that the portrait of my mother and father that used to hang over the main stairwell is gone. I realise what the wrong feeling is. The mansion no longer feels like home for me.

We reach my father's study. I take a deep breath, though not even slightly ready for what is about to happen.

As the door is opened by the strange butler that I do not know, I fully expect to see my father, seated there, though that is not what meets my eyes. Instead, my it is brother sitting there, looking straight at me with an expression that I have never seen cross his face before. He looks as if he hates me. Maybe he is right to.

I do not know why he is there, and not our father. I open my mouth to speak, but I am cut short.

"Where were you?" he demands coldly.

"I-" I begin.

"We looked everywhere for you," he cuts me off again. "You should be dead!"

His conviction cuts me like a knife, though it is probably true. Perhaps I really should be.

"I'm... sorry," I force out. "I had to go." The last part is barely audible.

"We looked for six months," he says icily. "We were told at that point it was most likely you had been killed."

"I'm sorry," I repeat. "I'm so sorry. I had to leave, it was the only way to keep you all safe. If I hadn't _they_ would have come after you and I..." I trail off.

"They?" he questions. "Who are they?"

"I can't tell you," I mumble " _They'll_ kill you."

"Why did you come back?"

"I had no other choice. It was my last resort. They'd found me everywhere else I've been."

I'm not sure what he thinks of that. He doesn't reply.

I admit; I'm not used to my brother acting in such a way at all. Maybe it is because he hasn't seen me in so long or that he thought I was dead? I would probably act similarly if a dead person appeared in my house one day. Though still, it seems something has changed in my little brother, though I am not sure of what. I don't excel in reading people.

I finally decide to ask the question that has been eating at me since I arrived.

"Where is father?" Perhaps my mother and father are out somewhere and have led my brother at home. Though, that does not explain why he's sitting playing Earl.  
He noticeably stiffens at my question and my blood runs cold. Could something have happened? No... not possible-

My train of thought is cut off by his harsh voice.

"Father is dead."

My heart sinks and I begin to shake.

"You aren't serious!" I exclaim.

"I would not lie about such a thing," he says.

My knees feel weak. I crash to the floor, still in shock. "What of Mother?" I whisper, shakily.

"Mother and Father both died in a fire three years ago. I am the sole survivor."

I haven't cried in years. The last time was when I ran away. I cried because I missed my family. I cried because I was scared. The only thing that kept me sane on dark nights when I was all alone was the prospect of one day returning to my home, of seeing my family's smiling faces once more. Tears spill from my eyes. The tears I cried before were of loneliness. These are a different type of tears. These are of devastation; something I have never truly felt before in my eighteen years of existence. Everything I told myself was lies. I never would see my family again.

Was there even any point of me leaving? I had left to keep my family safe, but in my absence I had done the very opposite of that. If I'd stayed I could have prevented their deaths. It was my fault. I had killed my parents.

Tears stop falling. I can't cry anymore, I have cried every tear possible to cry. I now lie face down on the ground, unmoving. It's strange how in one split second everything can come crashing down on oneself. I never imagined how this could happen. I never thought that one day everything I cared about would be torn away from me with one word: 'Dead'.

They're dead. Dead. Dead. They're dead. Mother and father. They will never come back. I am alone in this world, aren't I?

Do I have anything left to live for? Maybe I should let myself be taken by _them_ once and for all. Now, all I am left with is my brother, who is practically a stranger to me.  
I lift my head up slightly, my vision blurred. I look at him. He sits back on the chair, his face showing a look of regret. He's watching me with careful eyes. I couldn't begin to imagine what he has gone through, all alone and thinking all his family was dead. Thinking I was dead. I could have been there for him, through it all, but instead I'd left with seemingly worthless intentions and left my brother all alone, with everything to carry on his shoulders.

I was wrong. I am not alone, and I do have something to live for; Ciel.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

I am selfish. I am weak. I am a murderer.

I repeat it like a mantra.

I still lie on the floor in my father's old study. I still shake and sob, though no tears can escape my eyes any longer. They have long since dried up. My brother still looks at me, though I no longer look at him. I look straight at the floor beside my eyes. I tell myself to get it together. It doesn't work. I am unable to do anything. It's all my fault. I caused it. I repeat it to myself over and over. They wouldn't be gone if it wasn't for me.

I am weak. I am selfish. I am a murderer.

"Sebastian, go and fetch us some tea." Ciel's voice breaks my thoughts.

"Yes, my lord," the butler replies, and leaves the room.

I grow still, feeling as though my arms and legs are made of lead. I can no longer even move them an inch. I do not know how I must look to my brother. I suppose I look pathetic and rightly so.

Images flash in my head of what could have been. I could've walked through the door and seen my parents and my brother's smiling faces and pulled them all into a hug. They would forgive me for abandoning them. I would forget all my past troubles and return to the life I led before. Now I realise how unrealistic it all was. How I could have hoped for, let alone _expected_ something like that is now unimaginable.

If only I had returned earlier. If only I had not left at all.

The images of my parents in my head are starting to fade away. I can no longer hear their voices nor see their smiles. It's odd, because minutes earlier they were as bright as day. Ciel's image is beginning to fade as well. His smiling face has been replaced by the one that now looks at me.

I manage to get into a sitting position. I feel dizzy and my vision is blurring. Eventually it subsides. Time seems to be passing slower than it ever has.

"I'm sorry," I mumble again.

My brother does not seem angry anymore. He looks at me with pity. I realise that this pain is an old thing for him, while the wounds are fresh for me. How must he have felt when it happened? If only I had been there to comfort him. Maybe things wouldn't have been so painful for him. I will now live regretting my actions to the day I die. _They_ are now no longer my top priority; my brother is. I do not know if he'll accept me. I do not know if he will cast me out when I have regained my composure. I'll understand if he does, I am completely deserving of it. Still, I do not want to leave; for I am selfish and want to be with the last remaining family I have. No matter what.

Sebastian returns with a tea trolley. He pours Ciel a cup of tea, and cuts a slice of the cake he has brought.

"Would the _young mistress_ like some tea?" he inquires.

"Pour her a cup, Sebastian," Ciel says for me before I have the chance to say anything. Not that I am in the state to say anything other than 'sorry', though.

Sebastian obeys and I am motioned to sit on a nearby chair. I manage to stand and stumble over, almost tripping over my own feet. I feel like I am walking knee-deep in quicksand, but all that is beneath my feet is flooring.

Sebastian hands me the cup, which I grasp tightly. The liquid ripples as a result of my shaking fingers.

Ciel appears to have stopped questioning me. Maybe he will continue to do so when I am in a right state of mind. I have some questions of my own, but I'll keep them until he asks me.

I try to sip my tea, but instead it results with me dropping the teacup on the floor. It smashes into several pieces, which Sebastian clears up with an almost scary efficiency. I get strange vibes from him, though they are inexpiable. Perhaps if I were not suffering from loss I would be able to figure it out.

"Sorry," I mutter again.

Nobody is angered and Sebastian takes his leave with the tea trolley and broken teacup.

My brother and I do not exchange a word for a good half an hour. He is doing some kind of paperwork while I am focusing on calming myself down. I take deep, shaking breaths and close my eyes. I attempt to focus on nothing but my breathing, but sometimes my mind will stray back. I then immediately distract myself. However, sometimes it is impossible.

Another half hour passes. I continue to breathe. I feel calmer.

Sebastian returns. "Young Master, dinner is ready now."

Ciel nods and gets up from his chair. "Come," he utters to me and I obey, standing up, my legs now feeling more or less stable. I have now got past the point of shock. Perhaps I am beginning to accept it. I know I cannot change the past. I must focus on the future, however hard it may be.

I follow them through to the dining room. Maybe I will be questioned over a meal. Sebastian serves us a dinner of roast beef with horseradish sauce and roasted potatoes. The food, though delicious, I can't seem to swallow. I usually have a big appetite.

Ciel breaks the silence. "Where did you go?" It is nearly a demand.

My voice comes out a hoarse whisper. "Everywhere. So _they_... so _they_ wouldn't find me," -I pause and try to clear my throat- "This was the last place... I could come to. This is the last place I'm safe."

"You're being chased...?" Ciel asks dubiously.

I nod once and stare straight at my barely touched meal. "I'm being hunted." I try to make my voice as inaudible as possible.

"By whom?"

"By _them._ " I avert my eyes.

"Do you not have questions for me?" my brother asks expectantly.

I do have questions for him, though I don't quite know how to say them. I look at my brother again; the light in here is brighter, so I can better see his face. I notice something I hadn't previously. Covering one of his eyes is a black eyepatch that his hair had been obscuring before.

"Where did you get that?" I ask softly, with a slight gesture to his face.

"Get what?" comes his reply.

"The eyepatch," I mumble. Had he been injured? How? I stop myself before I'm led into a torrent of worry.

He let go of his steak knife and offhandedly touched it. "It's a reminder of a contract I once made."

I do not know what he means; he was being far too vague for my understanding. Should I ask what he means? No, he would not give me a straight answer.

We continue to eat and I manage to swallow a couple of mouthfuls.

"Could you fill me in on everything that's happened these past years?" I ask quietly. I'm not expecting him to agree, but there might be a chance.

"All right," Ciel replies. "Come to my study in a half hour. There isn't enough time to tell you now." He stands up and I notice he's finished his food. That was... a surprise. "Sebastian, I have finished eating," he calls over to the butler who stands near the other end of the table.

"Okay," I say, watching him leave the room. I look at my plate. I doubt I'll eat anymore so I stand up too. Sebastian comes over and begins to clear up the dishes with a the same speed and efficiency as before. I stand there, unknowing of where I am to go next. I feel like a stranger in my own home. Though, is it even my home anymore? I stare blankly at my feet. Hopefully my brother will provide some answers about what has happened. He has been indefinite in his replies, barely answering anything I've asked him. I can sense something has changed with him. He is no longer the brother I knew those years ago, and I can tell it's not solely because of our parents' death... Something has happened to him, and it's something to do with that eyepatch and probably that strange butler. I don't know how it all connects, but there is definitely something off.

"Let me escort you to your room." Sebastian appears behind me.

"Okay..." I mumble, vision still trained on the floor.

I follow him up the stairs and to my old room. When we get inside I immediately notice something wrong, like when I first saw the mansion. Everything looks like my old possessions, exactly in the way I left them, but I can tell they are not _mine_. They look to be very good replicas, but are missing some bashes and dents that the ones previous had, and some things have slightly differing patterns. My wardrobe is full of clothes, again, replicas. Everything feels strange and alien and definitely like not my room. But, I force a smile for the butler and he excuses himself.

I sit on my bed. Every pillow is positioned exactly as I prefer. Has my brother been waiting for me? Or does he just struggle to let go of the past? _Like me_.

I fall back onto the mattress, closing my eyes. Thoughts of my parents flood back. Can I even remember their faces now? A single tear rolls down my cheek and I hastily brush it away. I will not succumb to tears again. It makes me feel weak. I am not weak. I repeat this in my head, as if I can make myself believe it. In truth, I am as weak as I always have been. Weakness is cowardice. After all, what is more cowardly than to abandon one's family running from something I am not even entirely sure exists anymore? I am nothing more than a selfish child.

Because of that, I have payed any happiness I may have had in the future. Though, it was even more ignorant for me to expect everything to be exactly as it was when I left when I returned. I feel _those_ thoughts ebbing their way back into my focus.

My parents. Dead. All my fault.

I squeeze my eyes shut and try to think of nothing at all. Often I have wished I could simply bar myself from any thoughts at all, and now more than ever. I lie there like that for the next half hour, willing myself. Distracting myself.

It barely works.

I open my eyes and take glance at the clock on my wall. It is almost time to go and see my brother. I stand up slowly, my knees almost buckling as I put my weight on them. If I had stood any faster, I surely would have fallen over. I stagger the way to my father's - no, Ciel's study and knock on the door thrice.

"Enter," comes his reply.

I obey, taking a seat near the door. He again sits at the writing desk, staring intensely at a chess piece. I don't say anything, unable to bring myself to. I'm usually good enough at talking to people but now I just feel... drained. I manage to force myself to utter a word: "Hello.."

Ciel motions for me to sit on a seat opposite him. I again obey.

"Now, I'll tell you what happened. I promise all this is the truth."

I nod, anxiously anticipating what he will tell me.

"It happened on my tenth birthday," He begins, focusing his stare away from the chess piece and onto me. "Exactly one year and two months after you left. The mansion caught fire. Mother and Father perished and I was... taken... by _people_."

My eyes widen considerably and I clench my first, knuckles turn white.

"Taken...?" I echo weakly.

"A cult of some sorts... they held numerous children in cages, myself being one of them. I was held there for around a month. And then, Sebastian saved me. I was the only one remaining, the overs having been sacrificed. They would have killed me, had he not stopped them. We escaped and I returned, taking up the title of guard dog, and ever since, have been hunting down our parents' murderers."

I sit there frozen in shock. Many questions flood through my mind. Who were this cult? The butler had saved him? Who exactly is 'Sebastian'? It seems as if he is no ordinary butler. Ciel had said 'murderers'. Does he mean the fire was not - in fact - an accident?

However, these questions are not the the only things that are on my mind. The majority of what I experience is regret. How could I have possibly let my little brother go though all this alone? Hot tears pour from my eyes. I cannot hold back any longer. I cry for the second time this day. I launch myself at Ciel and embrace him tightly. My tears wet his shoulder, but he seemingly does not mind.

"I'm so sorry I left. It's all my fault. What sort of a sister am I letting you go through all this alone?" I sob. God knows what atrocities he has witnessed in all this time. He gingerly puts an arm around me, like he has somehow forgotten how. It is not something I blame him for.

He was much too young to go through such a thing. I am eighteen and the discovery of Mother and Father's deaths has practically broken me, while he was a mere ten and had to go through so much more than just the pain of loss. Things that I myself cannot even comprehend. Thinking of it pains me too much, and likewise scares me. My mind drifts to the butler, Sebastian. He saved Ciel from an imminent death and despite not knowing him at all, all I can feel for him is gratitude. I feel indebted to him. I swear to myself I will tell him this, and will do everything in my power to pay him back.

My brother was very vague and brisk about the details, and I suspect there is much he has not told me. I do not want to push anything out of him though. Hopefully he will open up more with due time.

There is the other matter of the way he worded the last part of his story: 'hunting down our parents' murderers'. 'Murderers' would mean that he thinks that they in fact did not die accidentally, which frightens, and likewise angers me greatly. The former part insinuates that he is headed down the path of revenge. For that I cannot, in all honesty, blame him.

I never was a vengeful person in the past but now I do not know anymore. I have never known something so awful to consider revenge, but that was before. Now the thought of making someone who took so much from me suffer sounds almost appealing.

All I have known these years is running. The feeling of being hunted. Now, those feelings have taken the backseat in my mind. Though, I still know they are hiding, and will once again begin to taunt me. I push these thoughts from my mind. They cannot take over at this moment.

My mind drifts back to the last matter. Ciel has become the Queen's Watchdog. A job of that sorts is not befitting of a mere child. I was mostly in the dark about my father's work for the whole time before I left, but I know the basics of what happens and it is not what I would like to see my young brother doing. Though I do not doubt that he would refuse if I were to try to persuade him to give it up or even give it to me, the second and only other eligible heir. Perhaps it should be my duty to assist him in his work, therefore I can protect him. Unless _they_ come. Then, I may have to run again.

No- I immediately turn my thoughts away. How could I even consider leaving once again? I will not leave so long as my brother lives. I will stay by his side no matter what. That is the meaning of family, after all. I will defend us both from them. No longer will I be afraid. No longer will I constantly run away.

I realise I still have my arms wrapped around Ciel. I have stopped crying, but my cheeks are still wet. "I'm.. sorry," I whisper.

"It's alright," Ciel replies quietly. It is the first time he has acknowledged my apology.

I remove my arms from around him and sit on the closest chair. "I really must thank your butler for all he has done." I try to make my voice sound light, but it only comes out as shaky.

"Anastasia." My brother says my name for the first time in years. It sounds almost alien on his tongue. "I don't blame you for mother and father's deaths. Who I blame are the people who killed them."

"You... think someone killed them?" I clarify.

"I know it." His voice is determined.

"Then... I'd like to help you find whoever it is," I reply. My voice still wavers slightly, but I have nearly regained composure.

Ciel's visible eye flashes. He looks as if he does not know what to say. "You want to follow me on my path of revenge?"

I nod, a new fire filling me. "Yes. I _do_."

* * *

 _-Third person-_

Sebastian stands behind the door, listening into the two siblings' conversation. A smirk crosses his face. "Well, well. Isn't this an interesting development...?"

After all, two souls are most certainly better than one.

* * *

 **AN: Hello! Firstly, thank you all so much for the reviews on the first chapter! Hopefully you enjoyed this one too !**

 **Also, I'm always open to suggestions for this story, and any help etc would be appreciated! Also, yes, the first two chapters have been mostly family drama but you can't do a 'Ciel has a sister' fanfic without all the family stuff, because otherwise it would be unrealistic, in my opinion.**

 **Also, what do you think of Anastasia's deceleration about helping Ciel in his path to revenge? And Sebastian's thoughts on it? How do you imagine it will change the upcoming 'canon' story line? I'm around 99% sure I will follow the manga plot but, as I said before, I'm open for suggestions. I imagine the romance will be slow building but I promise you it will happen! Ana is already showing some interest in Sebastian of some kind... Next chapter may have some stuff with other kuro characters but maybe will have more of the same stuff that's taken up this whole chapter. I promise you this is most of it though.**

 **Anyway, until next time! (chapter 3 will be up asap)**

 **P.S Reviews are ALWAYS appreciated and if you give me them chapter 3 will definitely come quicker as I'll get motivated!**


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